RAMSEUR — It was only a matter of time before Eastern Randolph used its biggest strength Friday night.

That strength happened to be matched up against what has killed Cummings High School this season.

After the Cavaliers grabbed their first lead of the game in the third quarter, Eastern Randolph’s Paris’ Martin returned a kick 77 yards for a touchdown and restored a lead Eastern Randolph didn’t relinquish in a 33-28 Mid-State 2-A Conference victory.

“Unbelievable,” is how Eastern Randolph coach Seth Baxter described Martin, who also racked up three rushing touchdowns.

The Wildcats (5-3 overall, 2-1 Mid-State 2-A) had to rebound with that kickoff return touchdown because Keith McAdoo threw the second of his three touchdown passes just seconds earlier, a 25-yard strike on fourth down to Tevin Smith.

Smith was open on the play, prompting some shouting between Eastern Randolph defensive backs.

“(Martin) blew the coverage back here on the Smith touchdown and he just came over, ‘Coach, it’s my fault, I’ll take care of it,’ ” Baxter said. “And he takes the kickoff all the way back.

“I think he’s one of the best who’s ever played here, and I’ve seen a lot of football played here,” Baxter continued about Martin. “What he does, he’s always prepared to make the big play.”

It’s the second week in a row Cummings has taken its first lead in the second half and surrendered a kickoff return for a touchdown.

Coach Steve Johnson was left to lament the special teams gaffes that have plagued the Cavaliers (3-5, 2-2).

“It’s a problem we’ve had all year long,” Johnson said. “It’s like the fifth one we’ve given up, and it’s always when, as soon as our kids get a lead. Our kids get a little deflated.”

Martin added another touchdown in the third quarter and finished with 23 carries for 141 yards, adding 41 receiving yards.

Cummings’ Desmond Satterfield — who drew praise from Johnson for his 23-carry, 110-yard effort — scored with 8:35 left to cut the deficit to five points in the fourth quarter. But Martin added his fourth and final touchdown, a 10-yard run set up by his own 51-yard burst, to extend the lead.

The Cavaliers responded quickly with a 57-yard touchdown pass from McAdoo to Dedric Bowman, cutting the Wildcats’ advantage back to five. Bowman had seven catches for 171 yards and McAdoo finished with 311 passing yards.

Cummings had a chance to drive the majority of the field when Tre Moore recovered a fumble in Cavaliers’ territory.

Page 2 of 2 -

But Cummings stalled, and McAdoo was intercepted by freshman linebacker Seth Cox on a fourth-down play around midfield.

The Wildcats took over needing to gain at least one first down to seal the victory.

“I was just hoping we’d come back out here on defense, I knew the clock was running down,” Cummings junior Will Richardson said. “We just needed that big stop on third down.”

Instead, on a third-and-9 with less than two minutes to play, Eastern Randolph quarterback Sam Whitley rolled to his left and fired a 10-yard completion to 6-foot-7 tight end Corey Yahn.

“Big guy. Big boy,” Whitley said of what he saw on the victory-clinching play. “Basically, we had Corey Yahn is a big tight end. I knew that either the outside linebacker was going to fly with the running back or Corey was going to be over the middle, and all I see was his hand up, just tried to put it on him.”

Eastern Randolph converted two third downs and a fourth down on the first possession of the game, driving 68 yards for a touchdown. Paris’ Martin capped the scoring trip with a 5-yard touchdown run.

The only bright spot of offense for Cummings in the first half was a 63-yard touchdown pass from McAdoo to Smith, who finished with six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns.